Tankometer.



No. 795,833. PATENTED AUG-.1. 1905.

,H. A. HOUSE. TANKOMBTER APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22,1964.

ANDRLW n cum/m mjPHOTO-UTHOGRAPIIIRS, wmnNC-TON. u :1

Uurrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TANKOIVIETER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1905.

Application filed September 22, 1904.. Serial No. 225,471.

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. HOUSE, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTankometers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a device for indicating the height of fluid inbarrels, tanks, or other like storage vessels through the medium of airtransmission from a chamber smaller than the storage-tank, wherein thefluid from the tank entering said chamber and partially filling the samewill thus compress the air above the fluid in said chamber ,to actuatethe fluid in the reservoir of the indicator and cause said fluid to passup the 7 glass tube of the indicator, and thus give a visible reading ofthe depth of the fluid in the storage-tank. The rise of the fluid in theglass tube will compress the air in the vacant space above said fluid,and the influence of this compression will be carried back or extendedto the storage-tank and above the fluid therein, thereby establishing aperfectly-balanced pressure between the tank and indicator under allconditions and regardless as to where the indicator is located withrespect to the fluid-storage tank.

Figure 1 represents a reduced front elevation of the indicator, reducedsectional view of the storage-tank, broken view of air-pipes connectingthe two, and broken sectional view of the insertion-tube. Fig. 2 is anenlarged rear elevation of the indicator, broken view, partly insection, of its reservoir, and sectional view of the overlying cap atthe top.

of the glass tube. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the nippleconnected directly with the tank, broken sectional view of the top ofthe tank, broken view of the air-pipes connected with said nipple,sectional view of the socket and clamping-nuts for securing the nippleto the tank, and broken sectional view of the insertion-tube adapted tobe submerged in the liquid contained in the tank. Fig. L is an enlargedsectional view of the indicator through line a of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is anenlarged detail view of the nipple. Fig. 6 is a reduced broken sectionalview of the storagetank, showing a modified construction of theinsertion-tube feature.

Its construction and operation are as follows:

1 is the fluid-storage tank adapted for holding volatile andnon-volatile liquids.

' 2 is a socket-nut having a flange adapted to rest upon and be securedto the top of the tank.

3 is a nipple having the flange 3 adapted to be seated in said nut, asshown at Fig. 3. The lower portion of this nipple extends through a holein said nut and into the tank, and to this lower portion is secured theinsertion-tube 1, the lower end of which just clears the bottom of thetank, as shown at Fig. 1.

5 is a clamping-nut adapted to secure the nipple 3 Within the socket-nut2.

6 and 7 are small air-pipes connecting the nipple 3 with the indicator,presently to be more fully described. 8 is a channel in said nipple,communicating with the insertiontube 4C and the pipe 6. The other end ofthis pipe communicates with the channel 9 in the colurnn 10 of theindicator, as shown at Fig. 2. This channel 9 opens into the reservoir11, adapted to hold alcohol, glycerin, or other like liquids forindicating in the glass tube 12 the height of liquid in the tank 1.

13 is a projection extending down from the upper wall of the reservoirto within a short distance of the bottom and is provided with thechannel '14, through which the contents of the reservoir is forced upinto the glass indicator-tube 12. The lower end of this tube is let intothe upper wall of the reservoir and is suitably packed therein toprevent leakage.

One end of the pipe 7, which is a balance air-pipe, is connected withthe upper end of the channel 15 in the nipple 3. The lower end of thischannel opens into the tank through the small hole 16, located justbelow the socketnut 2. The other end of pipe 7 communicates with thechannel 17 in the cap 18, overlying the upper end of the indicator-tube12. This channel communicates with the interior of said tube.

19 is a packing lying at the bottom of the recessed cap 17 to preventleakage from the said tube.

20 is a screw extending through the head 21 and is adapted to retain thecap 18 in place.

reading of the height of the liquid in the tank.

The channel 9, Fig. 2, is formed in the column 10 by drilling into thetop of said column, and the screw 23 serves to close the opening thusmade above the point where the channel communicates with the pipe 6. Inshipping the indicator a longer screw (not shown) could be used to closeor shut off the upper end of said channel to prevent the escape of theliquid in the reservoir.

Operation: The indicator is secured in any convenient place where it maybe readily seen without regard to the position of the tank. It may belocated above or below said tank and at any distance therefrom. When theopen end of the tube 4 is inserted into the liquid of the tank 1, theliquid will flow up this tube,

, compressing and moving the air above the liquid into the pipe 6, andthus force the liquid in the reservoir 10 up into the glassindicator-tube 12. The rise of the liquid in this tube will alsocompress and move the air in the tube above said liquid, which air willpass out at the top of said tube into the return or balance air-pipe 7and from thence through the hole 16 of the nipple 3 and into theairspace of the tank, thus forming a perfectlybalanced pressure in boththe tank and the glass indicator-tube. By this arrangement there can beno possibility of the recording liquid in the glass tube being forcedout at the top of said tube, and therefore the exact height of theliquid in the tank will be indicated by theheight of the liquid in saidtube. It will be understood, however, that the height of the liquid inthe glass tube does not necessarily represent a corresponding height ofthe liquid in the tank. If it did, it would be necessary to make theglass indicator-tube of equal height with the tanks, for the sizeandheight of this glass tube will vary proportionally with the diameterof the insertion-pipe. Therefore all that is necessary is to make theheight and diameter of the glass indicating-tube to conform to the mostconvenient size required and then make the insertiontube to correspond.In other words, the smaller the insertion-tube the deeper can be theliquid in the tank, and the size of the glass tube will be variedaccordingly.

When gasolene or other like volatile oils are stored in barrels, tanks,or other like storage vessels, it is necessary to vent them. Otherwisethe expansion of said oils by evaporation will burst the vessels inwhich they are stored. With my method and apparatus no such dangerexists, as it is made to vent automatically through the medium of thebalance-pipe 7.

The device above described is particularly adapted for automobiles usinggasolene as a motive power, in which case the indicator can be locateddirectly in front of the driver, so that the contents of thegasolene-tank can readily be noted at any time. As before mentioned, theindicator canbe located in any position most convenient for observationregardless of the location of the tank.

In Fig. 6 is shown the storage-tank l, with the apartment 24 partitionedofl from the tank with the exception of the small opening 25 at thebottom to admit the fluid from the tank. The fluid entering the chamber26 will not, of course, entirely fill said chamber. The air thereforeabove the fluid in said chamber will be compressed to move the airin thetransmission-pipe 6, leading to the liquidreservoir of the indicator inthe manner as previously described for the pipe 6. In this constructionthe return or balance-pressure pipe 7 a will connect with the tank atany point above where the liquid is liable to rise. In Fig. 6 this pipeenters at the top of the tank. The air-space 4 above the fluid in theinsertion-tube 4, Fig. 1, I also term the air-compression chamber and isthe full equivalent of the air-compression chamber 26. (Shown at Fig.6.) The latter may be a permanent fixture of the tank, while theformeris adapted for 'use in any kind of a tank or barrel and may bereinovably secured thereto.

It will be understood that when the device is used in connection withvessels holding non-volatile fluids it is not necessary to employ thereturn or balance air-pipe; but an air-compression chamber similar to 4:and 26 is an indispensable feature in both cases. When the chamber is afixture of the storagetank, as shown at Fig. 6, it can as readily belocated outside of said tank.

While I mention the indicating-tube as being made of glass, it willreadily be understood that the term indicating-tube will cover anytransparent material whereby the height of liquid in the storage-tank isreadily seen and indicated in the tube.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

The combination with a liquid-storage tank, of a nipple removablysecured to the tank, an insertion-tube secured to the lower end of saidnipple and extending into the tank, said nipple having theair-transmission channel 8 opening into said tube, and the air-returnchannel 15 opening into the tank, a glass indicator-tube, a shieldpartially embracing the same a base containing a liquid-reservoir, saidindicator-tube supported on said base and opening into said reservoir, acolumn rising from said base havinga channel opening into saidreservoir, the air-transmission pipe connecting said channel with thechannel 8 of the nipple, head 21, to support the upper end of theindicator-tube, sealing-cap l8, retaining-screw 20 therefor, said caphaving the channel 17 opening into said tube, balance air-pipe 7communicating with and connecting said channel with the air-returnchannel 15 of the nipple, for the purpose set forth.

Signed at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, this 12th day of September, A. D. 1904:.

HEN BY A. HOUSE.

Witnesses:

GEORGE W. FINN, S. J. CHAFFEE,

